Aldric La'Auli Porter1st Assistant Director and Associate Producer

Aldric La'Auli Porter has worked as the first assistant director on nearly two dozen major Hollywood films, including such box office and critical hits as Ron Howard's "Apollo 13" (starring Tom Hanks) and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (starring Jim Carrey). Other big stars he has helped direct include Mel Gibson in "Ransom" and Jack Nicholson in "As Good as it Gets." On many of his projects he served as the associate producer as well as the assistant director.

Admittedly, Aldric Porter is a name that most filmgoers are not familiar with. But they will be. Porter seems poised to move from second-in-command to full-fledged director, and his A-list experience makes it likely that his work will cause audiences sit up and take notice.

According to his bio on the official Dance With Me website, Porter is a "graduate of the difficult and comprehensive Directors Guild of America Trainee Program" and has worked as second assistant director on a variety of television programs.

Although most of Porter's projects have been made in Hollywood, at least one of his projects was for a very alternative "production company": He was the 1st assistant director on "The Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd" (2000), the epic film about Jesus, and Christians in both the Middle East and the Americas. Written and directed by Academy Award-winning director and IMAX pioneer Kieth Merrill, "The Testaments" plays to audiences in the historic Joseph Smith Building (formerly the Hotel Utah) in Salt Lake City.

While working on "The Testaments", Porter had the chance to work once again with Sonia Bhalla, who was with him on "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "Ed TV". (Bhalla was also an assistant director on "The Sixth Sense", "Unbreakable" and "Evolution."). The cast of "The Testaments" included such talented character actors as Tayva Patch ("Brigham City"), Marvin Payne ("Pure Race"), and Rick Macy ("Return to the Secret Garden", "Brigham City").

Porter is currently a producer at Imagine Entertainment, whose principles are director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer. (Grazer has produced over 50 Hollywood films, including Academy Award nominees "Splash" and "Apollo 13", and many successful comedies such as "Liar Liar" and "The Nutty Professor.")

A small picture of Porter appears in the book How the Grinch Stole Hollywood: The Making of the Movie Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, by Andy Lipschultz (Random House: New York, 2000). The caption (on page 16) reads:

The crew meets one week before shooting to read through the script and address any final problems or questions individual departments might have regarding filming. At the head of the table is Ron Howard; to his right is first assistant director Aldric Porter, who runs the meeting; to Howard's left is executive producer Todd Hallowell and to his left, unit production manager David Womark.

Porter is on the advisory board of the Vision Film Festival, a major Los Angeles film festival that "recognizes and showcases moving images of high artistic merit that uplift the heart, inspire hope and exalt the human soul." Other board members include Glen Larson (producer of "Battlestar Galactica", "Magnum, P.I.", "Quincy", etc.), David Howard (screenwriter of "Galaxy Quest"), and Academy Award-winning producer Gerald Molen ("Schindler's List", "Jurassic Park", "Twister", "The Other Side of Heaven", etc.).

Aldric Porter served in a dual capacity as the first assistant directorand the associate producer on the following films:

The Missing (2004)

The Cat in the Hat (2003)

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Ed TV (1999)

Dance with Me (1998)

As Good As It Gets (1997)

Ransom (1996)

Larger Than Life (1996)

Apollo 13 (1995)

The Paper (1994)

Porter also served as the 1st assistant director on the following films:

The Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd (2000)

Best in Show (2000)

T2 3-D: Battle Across Time (1996)

True Lies (1994)

Indecent Proposal (1993)

Far and Away (1992)

Backdraft (1991)

Come See the Paradise (1990)

Black Rain (1989)

Chances Are (1989)

Mississippi Burning (1988)

Nuts (1987)

Porter also worked as the second assistant director on the following feature films: